This invention relates generally to footwear and more specifically to an improvement in a sport sandal upper that enhances comfort and safety of the sandal.
Sandals constitute one of the earliest footwear known to man. Typically, sandals incorporate either a leather or rubberized sole which can be attached to the human foot by straps extending across the Achilles heel and toes of the user. Prior art sandals were designed for walking. Sandals however, have been recently developed for more demanding sports-related activities on land, paved surfaces and in water as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,195 (""195) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,492 (""492).
Sandals are generally classified as either xe2x80x9cclosed-heelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9copen-heelxe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cOpen-heelxe2x80x9d sandals are typically provided with a single strap that passes over the wearer""s foot above the bridge, or a combination of a strap with toe-thong that extends from a strap over the bridge of a wearer""s foot to the sole of the sandal, and which is generally positioned between two of the wearer""s toes. xe2x80x9cClosed-heelxe2x80x9d sandals typically include a strap or upper portion positioned behind the wearer""s heel to support the wearer""s foot within the sandal. Both types of sandals usually have an open toe structure.
This invention relates to open toe sandals. An open toe sandal, especially when absent a toe thong permits the foot to slide forwardly when the sandal is planted during walking, running, climbing and especially when stopping quickly. The sole of the foot will slide forwardly and toes can extend beyond the front end of the sole causing chafing, blisters on the sole of the foot and on the skin surfaces under the straps of the sandal. The toes are also exposed to being hit with rocks or sand kicked up by the runner, bicyclist or the like in front of the wearer of the sandal or during walking or playing on a beach or in the surf. Water sports such as kayaking, rafting also expose the toes to injury when wearing an open toe sandal.
The problem of the foot sliding forward in an open toe sandal has been addressed by improvements in the straps across the front of the ankles and across the front to the foot. The upper surface of the innersole of sandals has been relieved and contoured to stabilize the foot from linear movement. Also the front portion of the innersole has been relieved to form an upwardly sloping ramp which receives the bottom of the front portion of the foot including the toes. All of these measures provide some improved linear stability but are not adequate to hold the foot in place during quick stops or turns.
The present invention prevents injury to the foot and toes in an open toe sandal. Linear and transverse stability are both improved by the present invention.
The present invention comprises an upraised toe guard which is positioned on the front, marginal lip of the sandal. The guard extends laterally from the side of the big toe around to the side edge of the small toe. The guard extends rearwardly at least to front edge of the nails usually no further rearwardly then the start of the toes. The guard need not extend rearwardly past the rear joint of the big and small toes. The toe guard of the invention slants vertically upwardly and rearwardly, preferably in a curved profile to form a shield and cover over the front toes. The rear edge of the toe guard extends rearwardly at least to the front of the toes and need not extend past the rear joint of each toe. The upper lip of the toe guard preferably extends rearwardly a greater amount in the area above the big and adjacent toe and decreases in width as it continues toward the inner and outer edges of the sandal.
The toe guard can be rigid or soft. It is preferably formed of a fairly rigid plastic material such as Hytrel(copyright). The toe guard can be attached to the front lip of an open toe sandal. It is preferred that toe guard has a base wall that can be positioned between an upper innersole and a lower outer sole during the step of adhering the innersole to the outer sole. In the case of use of an innersole with an upwardly slanted, curved ramp, the curved toe guard extends above and over the curved ramp.
These and many other attend features and advantages of the invention will become better understood as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.